It’s hard to believe that 5 years have gone by so quickly. Almost too quickly. Being an adult is the hardest thing I’ve done so far. Luckily I’ve managed to maintain a nice steady job at a local floral shop, I’ve gotten my own car, and soon enough I’ll be able to get my own apartment that Charlie and I can share. I’m shocked at how far the two of us have come since graduating. Even more, so that he actually decided to continue his college education. Determination has been something that’s run fairly strong in his family so I’m not all too surprised. The only time I’m surprised is on days like today where he shows up out of the blue and wants to just drive around doing nothing. There’s nothing more that I enjoy than spending time with him. Besides, who am I to refuse when he’s always so busy.
“Jasper’s having another gala in town this weekend.”
“I know he told me. I’ll be back at school by then though.”
“Break is over that fast?”
“Yeah, I’m trying to graduate as soon as possible. I picked up courses where ever I could.”
“Fair enough. It’ll suck with you out of town again. Do your parents know?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t they?”
“I’m only asking Charlie. Have you heard from the boys?”
“Not really. Anthony is working as a chef on some fancy cruise ship. Jamie moved to Brazil to explore the rain forest. And Carson’s been busy doing something he won’t tell anyone about. Other than that we don’t talk.”
“Last time I talked to Carson he said he was going to do some self-discovery.”
“I don’t know. I haven’t really talked to them much. Plus how do you know that?”
“I always talk to Carson. He's messaged me the most. Jamie and I speak occasionally as well as Anthony and myself.”
“They don’t talk to me much.”
“Ask them why. They don’t even mention you when it comes to me and I don’t know why. We’re all friends.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing. I’ll talk to them eventually. Really just want to focus on school.”
“I know.”
He’s careful about pulling into the driveway of his parent’s house. It’s still as I remember it. And as usual, Jasper is parked in front of the house, probably only visiting. Like his brother, he rarely stays in town long. Making it rare that I have dinner here with all of them. The two of us barely get to the door when it swings open. A flustered young woman, practically running into me.
“Kenzie, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
The woman looks up, blue eyes landing affectionately on Charlie before her eyes fall on me and her face twists into disgust. I frown, unsure about her behavior.
“I’ll be right in. I need to have a word with Amity.”
“You know her.”
“Same school.”
I’m ushered inside before I can protest. A sigh later I shrug it off and head straight for the kitchen. The boys’ mom is scolding Jasper for sitting on the counter where he doesn’t belong.
“Every time I come here you’re in trouble for something.”
“McKenzie! You made it! Is Charles here?”
“Yeah, talking to the girl who ran out of here.”
“Oh…yeah, she’s a trip. Anyway, will you be at the Gala this weekend?”
“Of course! I rarely get to see your art anymore. You hide it away in your new studio apartment.”
“Because if I take them to your job I’ll lose it amongst all the flowers.”
“Uh huh.”
He ruffles my hair, slides off the counter, and moves to sit at the dining table. Hardly anything about him has changed. Still as playful as ever, despite being a grown man. It makes me smile thinking about how lucky I am to know him and Charlie.
“Sorry, about that.”
“Just who was she, Charles?”
“Friend from school. Sometimes she gets carried away.”
“You should be careful who you make friends with. She looks dangerous. Come sit. Tell me everything.”
“What’s there to tell Jas? You’ve gone to college. It’s not much different.”
“You’re boring. Plus I’m sure you’ve had different experiences than me.”
“I mean I didn’t take up art as you did. So that’s really the only thing.”
“Yeah, your lazy butt took some type of teaching major. Completely forgot.”
“Oh shut up. Anyway. I just thought I’d stop by for dinner. I have to start packing when I get back.”
“You’re not going to my gala?”
“Can’t, I picked up extra classes so I can graduate as soon as possible.”
“Mom, can I trade him? Please?”
“Childish. And no. That is not how it works. It’s good to have you home Charlie. Even if it is for a little bit.”
“Thanks, mom.”
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“Now, McKenzie, you are staying the night correct?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The night goes extremely smoothly, consisting of jokes, old stories, and even family videos. Before any of us is aware it’s time for Charlie to head back to the hotel he’s staying in. Why he chose a hotel, none of us will ever know. He’s just odd sometimes. A few hugs and a brief kiss on my forehead later and he’s gone. Everything is calm and peaceful. It makes everything seem so fairytale like.
“I’m going to head up to bed, I’ve got some meetings in the morning.”
“I should head to bed too. I have to open the shop tomorrow. It’ll be busy.”
My feet carry me gently upstairs to Charlie’s room. It hasn’t been touched. Left the same as when we graduated. He hasn’t stayed in it since, either. He has a place to be with his family but always stays in a hotel. A smile twitches my lips upwards as I explore the room I’ve become so familiar with since childhood. Pictures upon pictures adorn the walls. Artwork painted by Jasper, photos his parents took of us as we grew through the ages. Doodles and terrible drawing the two of us made. There are even terribly written poems by me. Things I didn’t think he would keep. There’s a single piece of paper I’ve never seen before, though. My fingers brush it gently. It’s new and the handwriting isn’t mine, Charlie’s or his mom’s. Confusion takes over as I gently lift the paper from the wall. It’s hard to read, there’s a lipstick kiss on the top and bottom of it, along with a young girl’s name. Something in my chest sinks a little, but I’m quick to shake the feeling aside. After all, for all I know it could be from some small child or even from a project he did for school. I let my gut relax first before I place it back, slipping my shoes off, and gently lay in the bed. For now, I push all the negative thoughts running through my head to the back of my mind so that I can sleep.
Six am comes to fast for me. I make it quickly back home to change and then to work. Thankfully, no customers have shown up yet. Every year there’s a city appreciation event and people buy flowers practically by the truckload. Vanessa enters behind me with coffee in her hand and a somber smile. The two of us have been friends for the past three years. Neither of us is mentally prepared for today, but we both know it’s worth it since we’ll both be making extra money. Nothing better than holiday pay. Or even extra tips.
“Ready for the day?”
“As if either of us will ever be ready for today. And we’ve been doing this every year.”
She laughs and hands me a cup of coffee. Swiftly the two of us go through inventory and then out to the greenhouse to water the potted and hanging plants. I even make sure to check the hydroponics system before going back into the main building. There’s a crowd at the door when we return. Small smiles of encouragement to each other before we open up to the public and start taking orders. Other employees start coming in to help, putting together arrangements as we take orders. Layla, our delivery girl shows up just in time to help us with organizing and delivering orders. It doesn’t slow down until noon. Which is a miracle in itself. The six of us plop into chairs in the break room after the sign is flipped to close.
“This is more than last year.”
“It keeps growing.”
“Yeah, but that’s only because McKenzie joined a couple years ago. Her presence and people skills have skyrocketed sales.”
“Hush, Gloria. We all work hard. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to do this job without any of you.”
“Still, production wouldn’t be this high if you hadn’t shown up and made changes to the way things used to be. Ms. Amanda was so happy when you decided to come along. She was so close to giving up on the place.”
“I’m glad she let me join. I’m happy to be a part of something this important.”
“And we’re glad to have you. We should probably get back before there’s a revolt.”
We laugh and with Marina, in the lead, we start back out. I’m almost out the door when Vanessa stops me. There’s concern on her face. She’s afraid to tell me something, but what I’m not sure. Her weight shifts from one foot to the other. Ants dancing along her skin, nerves singing in the air.
“I know it’s probably nothing, but I uh, saw Charlie yesterday evening.”
“Yeah, he picked me up and we went to his parents’ place for dinner.”
“No, McKenzie, after that it was super late. I was working my second job and he came in with some girl. She was all over him and he seemed so comfortable with her. Like I said it’s probably nothing and my mind may have been playing tricks on me, but I thought you should know.”
“A girl was at the house when we showed up yesterday too. He said she was a classmate from school. Later I found a note or something written by some girl on his wall. It’s probably nothing, but thank you for telling me.”
Each muscle pulls itself apart gracefully. She’s never been nervous about telling me anything. However, most girls lose friends over things like this. She didn’t need me to yell at her over something as simple as a boy. A boy I’ve known my whole life and grown up with. One of us is aware of something. However, both of us want it to just be nothing. I pat her shoulder before we head back to everyone else. There’s a crowd already. Internal groans aren’t enough to describe how exhausted we’re going to be. No second thoughts as we go and start putting arrangements together ourselves, helping customers to their cars, and other such things. The evening rolls around swiftly, decorating the whole town in midnight blue, sparkling stars, and spotted streetlights.
Everything is sore. Yet we’re all satisfied as we clean up and close up shop for the evening. We’ll all be off tomorrow luckily. Which means tonight is a girls night out. Once a month of getting together has helped us a lot. So much stress dissipates into mist. While the girls drink I don’t, maintaining that at least one of us can get us all home safe. The turning of my feet allows me to catch Charlie’s car driving by. Passenger side is Amity. She’s dressed for a fancy date judging by her makeup and so is Charlie. Suddenly my throat is too narrow to swallow or breathe. She’s a classmate. It’s nothing. Stop freaking out. Eyes shut out the image before me of the two of happily laughing.
“McKenzie, are you okay?”
“Y-yeah, I’m fine. We should go. Don’t want to start late.”
“Hey, that was Charlie wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, that was a classmate of his.”
“Are you-”
“Shut up, Abby. She knows Charlie better than anyone. Let’s just enjoy our night because we all know tomorrow is a free day.”
The girls cheer before clambering into my car. I smile at their enthusiasm, once again shoving any negative thoughts to the far ends of the earth, and climb in the driver's seat. There’s a nice bar we go to every month that basically keeps our spot reserved for us. It’s not far from the shop and rather easy to get to despite how busy nighttime traffic gets once everyone is trying to go home at the same time. It’s surrounded by little mom and pop shops that close during the early afternoon. Doesn’t even use a bunch of flashy lights or anything, simply sets up a sign with the evening's specials and the local band that’ll be playing for the night. It’s a quaint little place that we enjoy. They even serve breakfast on certain days. The best part is that it’s never packed with people. And not just because we’re a small town. Strange enough the one place the townspeople appreciate most is the bar. Making sure to park carefully along the cub, my eyes wander to the tulips struggling to survive. They would last longer if people would stop dumping alcohol and throwing up on them. We don’t hesitate to get out and enter the bar. Theodora is the first to grab drinks. There’s a rule that we rotate who buys the first round of drinks after that it doesn’t matter. It helps us keep the peace between.
“Evening Ladies.”
“Evening Nathan!”
He’s worked here for the past six months and I initially made the mistake of thinking he was Jasper. They’re similar in appearance, except Jasper is older and his hair is slightly curly. Although, if he straightened it, no one would know the difference but the two of them. Nathan’s charming in his own way and always looks out for the females that come in. Even going as far as to call and have someone pick them up or call to let a family member know he’ll be dropping them off. Most people think it’s sketchy, but I figure as long as he calls and no one’s called the police yet, it must be okay. We’re a close-knit town with a population of roughly 200 to 300 people. Most places have more than that, but we’re surrounded by river and forest. Cutting it down to expand depletes half our resources. Everything else has to come in from somewhere else. Theodora sits with us and hands us all our drinks. Shocking me with a margarita instead of water.
“Enjoy yourself tonight. I’ll drive us home. And I’ll make sure you get home safely.”
I go to protest but she shakes her head and shows me the water she’s gotten for herself. Sighing I take a sip, surprised that I actually like the taste. And she’s right, it's rare I let go. What’s a couple drinks tonight? I’m off tomorrow anyway.